Abstract
Isolates from two multinucleate Rhizoctonia species, namely Rhizoctonia solani and Rhizoctonia circinata, and binucleate Rhizoctonia spp., were evaluated for the presence of lectins, using human erythrocytes. Isolates from R. solani had similar lectins across the anastomosis groups. Agglutination profiles, however, revealed individual preferences for human blood types but with a general preference for type A over B and O. R. solani lectins had a general affinity for N-acetyl-D-galactosamine and mucin. Also, some isolates from the binucleate Rhizoctonia AG-DII, had lectins that showed strong affinity for glycoproteins, fetuin and mucin. There was no lectin activity in members of R. circinata. The lectins in members of the genus Rhizoctonia varied in content and character across the species sampled but had similar affinity for mucin. Furthermore, 62% of the self-anastomosing and 35% of the non-self anastomosing isolates tested showed lectin activity. The presence of lectins in both self-anastomosing and non-self anastomosing isolates suggests that lectins may not be directly involved in the recognition process in hyphal anastomosis.
